How to Answer the 5 Most Common Interview Questions

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5 years ago

Over the past few weeks, I focused my posts on key steps in the interview process: updating your resume and writing post-interview thank you note. After covering the bookends of the job search process, I thought I’d get into the heart of it: the interview. In this post, I’ll share the Top 5 most common interview questions I have used as a hiring manager. And, I’ll offer some suggestions on how to answer them.

And, if you need even more help, I share some resources at the bottom of this post that can help (including a cheat sheet on how to answer the Top 30 Interview Questions).

Top 5 Most Common Interview Questions (and How to Answer)

1. “Walk me through your resume” (Or “Tell me about yourself”)

This is probably one of the most common interview questions. The key here is to give the right level of detail. You should give an overview of your experiences to date, but not all of the lengthy details.

I cannot tell you how many times I have decided not to offer someone a position because of how they answer this question. Too often, the candidates go on and on and on. Not only do I get annoyed and bored, but I’m also not really learning much more about them.

If you do this right, you can actually use this to drive the rest of the interview, and control where the interview goes.

For example, here is a great way to start your reply to this question:

“I started my career in brand management at ABC Company where I grew from a junior marketer to a front line manager of marketing personnel. In that time I worked on a range of projects including from product launches, P&L management, business development.

Would you like me to go into more detail before I discuss moving from ABC Company to XYZ Company?”

See how this response is high level but still gives a good impression of your experiences. If you pause and ask if you should go into more detail, then you are engaging the interview and, therefore, less likely to have him or her check out.

You could even add something like:

“It was during this time at ABC Company in which I had what I consider my greatest professional achievement. Would you like me to discuss more.”

By adding these types of questions you can direct the interview where you want it to go and ensure that you highlight the experiences you want (but get the interviewers buy-in on doing so and, therefore, isn’t annoyed).

2. “What are your greatest strengths?”

What is important for this question is that your strengths match the key competencies required for the role. That said, you cannot simply answer, “my strengths are strategic planning, teamwork, and communication.” You need to flesh them out a bit so that the interviewer understands what those words mean to you, and how they apply to your work experience.

Here is a sample way to answer this question:

“I thrive at strategic planning under uncertainty. For example, I developed the Launch Plan for Product X, which has numerous unknowns in terms of product functionality and launch timing. My second strength is teamwork. I’ve worked on cross-functional teams for over 10 years, including for the launch of Product X. Lastly, I consider communication a key strength. I have extensive experience communicating key issues, data, and plans to audiences spanning from senior leaders to sales teams. I successfully alter communications to the audience in order to have the maximum impact.”

See how, in this example, you are defining your key strengths. You are also adding a few details to ensure the interviewer understands how those traits show up in your work.

3. “What are your greatest weaknesses?”

This is probably the #2 on the list of most common interview questions. There is a lot of advice out there on how to answer this question. In my opinion, the best way to answer it is to do so honestly. If you sugar coat or lie, then you are risking looking dishonest and / or unable to see your own shortcomings (and, therefore, being un-coachable). No hiring manager would want that in a direct report.

So, be honest.

Furthermore, I suggest you add the concrete steps you have taken to improve and how you have grown over time.

Here is a sample way to answer this question:

“Recently, I have focused on developing my project management skills. When working with a lot of cross-functional teams, I can struggle to ensure everyone has what they need, when they need it. Last year I took a project management course to ensure I stay on track. As a result, none of my projects have experienced a delay.”

With this type of response, you have been honest but you’ve also demonstrated the willingness and ability to improve. I believe that would be enough for most hiring managers.

4. “Why are you interested in this role?”

The key to answering this question is to explain how this role is a good balance of things you have already done (so you would presumably be competent at them) and also an opportunity to grow.

Where I’ve seen candidates go wrong is when they answer something like, “I want to work on Product X because it’s our biggest brand.” A response like this makes me think you care more about checking boxes, and advancement for the sake of advancement rather than really valuing the role and the experience it will give you.

Consider an alternative approach to this question:

“In my experience as a brand manager for older products, I’ve been able to acquire a great deal of breadth and depth of brand management experiences. I would love the opportunity to apply that to a bigger brand like Product X. I think the diversity of my experiences on older products will help me contribute to effective future planning for Product X as it matures in the market.”

See how you can position this as a win-win for you and the manager? That’s the sweet spot for this question.

5. “Where do you want to be in 5 years?”

For this question, I don’t think the answer itself matters. What matters is the judgment and self-awareness you show in answering it. If you respond by saying that you aspire to be the CEO in 5 years, that may raise some questions about whether you can set realistic goals for yourself and others.

As a manager, I cannot tell you how frustrating it is when someone wants to move on before they are ready; their ambition clouds their judgment and interferes with their ability to deliver in their current job. By asking this question, I’m looking for you to demonstrate a good balance between ambition and realism.

Here is a nice, balanced response:

“First, I aim to succeed in this role over the next 2 years. At that point, I would look to build a path to a leadership position on the team.”

What’s great about this response is that it acknowledges the need to be successful at the job you’re interviewing for first. Then, look to promotion or other opportunities. If you start there, you should be ok in answering this question.

In conclusion, I hope these most common interview questions and responses help you prepare for your next interview! If you’re looking for more advice check out this helpful post from The Balance Careers.